Victory
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: For centuries, Angel has wanted one thing. Now, at last, it is about to become his. Character Death. Het.


Title: "Victory"  
Author: Pirate Turner  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary: For centuries, Angel has wanted one thing. Now, at last, it is about to become his.  
Warnings: Het, Character Death  
Word Count: 780  
Date Written: 6 June, 2012  
Disclaimer: Cordelia Chase, Angel, Spike, and all other characters mentioned within are ﾩ & TM Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, not the author; are used without permission; and may not be used without permission. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

He had waited so many centuries, but now he could finally give himself what he needed. It wasn't the Shanshu, though what few friends he had still living thought it was. They would never know that he had passed on the Shanshu and told the Powers That Be to give it to Spike instead. No, he wanted something far different, and he'd had to wait far too long for it.

He wondered if she would still be waiting for him, but that question passed with a certain answer almost as soon as it occurred to him. She would be there for she had been waiting for this as long as he had. They loved each other, and at long last, they would be allowed to be together.

He had won the war for the Powers That Be. He had buried her, their son, who, though not hers by blood was far more her child than he would ever be his blood mother's, and so many other friends and allies that Angel could scarcely remember them all. He still heard most of their voices, however, each day as he tried to lay in bed to rest for the next battle that awaited him.

But there would be no more battles, not for him at least. The world finally had peace, and there were plenty of other soldiers to carry on the fight after he left. They would blame themselves for not being here for him now, but Angel had written Spike one last letter, explaining everything and, most of all, how this was what he wanted and, now that he had finally won the right to achieve his heart's desire, he would rip any one who tried to stop him limb from limb.

The blonde Vampire had always been a pain in his ass, but Angel knew he would comfort the other soldiers, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those mortals who had first helped him way back when the love of his life had still lived, and keep them from doing anything foolish. There were those who would consider his final action to be stupid and foolish, Angel knew, but nothing could be further from the truth. He knew what he wanted. He had strived and fought for it ever since he had laid his beautiful soul mate into the cold, hard ground, and now, at last, he would achieve it.

He looked up with a smile as he saw her coming to him. She was golden, and her dress flowed around her. Whatever cloth it was made of, Angel felt sure, had to be finer than the most luxurious silks in which Cordelia had always yearned to be clothed. He should have bought them for her, but at the time, he'd not thought it important. After her death, however, he had realized belatedly that whatever she wanted was important for one simple reason: She wanted it. It would make her happy, and that was what he wanted to do. There was only one other thing he wanted more, and that was to be with her.

"Angel," she called to him, and though she, too, was smiling, there were tears in her misty, hazel eyes. "I know what you're doing."

He met her evenly. "Then you know there's no sense in arguing with me."

Her smile grew, and yet there were still tears in her lovely eyes. "I wasn't going to," she replied. "The time is right . . . " She paused. " . . . at last," she finished. He heard the emotions in her tone and knew he was right. She had been there with him all along, doing what little she could to help him win and waiting with as much desperation and fragile hope as he had all these years for this time to come.

"I love you, Cordelia!"

"I love you too, Angel!"

"Then why are you crying?"

There was no more distance between them. He stood just before her light. She gazed up into his handsome face, and at last he could see the joy in her tear-filled, hazel eyes. "Because I'm so happy!" She grabbed him, hugging him tightly, and he went with her into the light.

When sunset came, Spike knew already, instinctively, that he was too late. He didn't see the dust that Angel had left behind for it had already been swept away in the wind, but he did find the note. He found the note, read it, hung his head, and smiled, and for the first time in millennia, Spike said a quick, little prayer not to any deity in particular but to ask that his friends' happiness last forever. And it did.

**The End**


End file.
